C.H.E.F.’s Julie Peterson Receives Washington State Exemplary Substance Abuse Prevention Award

Comprehensive Health Education Foundation (C.H.E.F.®), one of the nation’s leaders in health and prevention education, announced that Julie Peterson, Senior Director of Public Affairs and Policy, received the Washington State Exemplary Substance Abuse Prevention Award. The award was presented to Peterson by Lt. Governor Brad Owen at an awards luncheon on October 21 during the 2005 Washington Drug Prevention Summit in Yakima.

Seattle, WA (PRWEB) November 30, 2005 -- Comprehensive Health Education Foundation (C.H.E.F.®), one of the nation’s leaders in health and prevention education, announced that Julie Peterson, Senior Director of Public Affairs and Policy, received the Washington State Exemplary Substance Abuse Prevention Award. The award was presented to Peterson by Lt. Governor Brad Owen at an awards luncheon on October 21 during the 2005 Washington Drug Prevention Summit in Yakima.

With more than 600 national, state, and community drug prevention leaders in attendance to share strategies for keeping young people drug-free in Washington, Peterson was one of a small group of dedicated individuals, groups, and media partners around the state to be honored with this prestigious award, which was created to honor effective drug prevention programs and partners in Washington. Peterson was recognized for her work as a key advisor to the National Network for Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Executive Committee, supporting strong collaboration among prevention leaders throughout the United States. Peterson was also recognized for recently leading the charge for a statewide and national advocacy effort that substantially restored proposed cuts to Drug-Free Communities and the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities state grants funding at the federal level.

According to Ken Stark, director of the Department of Social and Health Services’ Division of Alcohol and Substance Abuse (DASA), “We are thrilled to honor Julie Peterson with this award because her tireless, commanding, and effective voice have contributed significantly to addressing substance abuse prevention in Washington state and throughout the nation. We are grateful to Julie for her important work, invaluable leadership, grass-roots organizing, and effective lobbying skills, and look forward to her continued future contributions in the field.”
    
Peterson, who has been with C.H.E.F. for more than 15 years, focuses on health education policy initiatives and state and federal appropriations for the organization and the community at large. She is ultimately responsible for promoting C.H.E.F.’s mission through public policy. Prior to her arrival at C.H.E.F., Peterson was deputy director of the Washington State Traffic Safety Commission, serving as the agency’s legislative liaison and a member of the interagency work group on drugs.

According to Larry Clark, President and Chief Executive Officer of C.H.E.F., “We’re proud of Julie’s continued outstanding work and accomplishments on behalf of our organization and those who have so greatly benefited from it, and her receipt of the Washington State Exemplary Substance Abuse Prevention Award is further acknowledgement of her many contributions.”
    
About Comprehensive Health Education Foundation

Founded in 1974, Seattle-based Comprehensive Health Education Foundation (C.H.E.F.®) is dedicated to promoting health and quality of life through education, addressing such important topics as childhood obesity, stress, and other unhealthy behaviors. As a nationally known nonprofit organization, C.H.E.F. develops a variety of health promotion and prevention education programs and products targeted to the early childhood, school-aged youth, and healthy aging markets. For information about C.H.E.F.’s products and programs, please visit www.chef.org or call 1.800.323.2433.

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Press Contact: Michael Oxman
Company Name: COMPREHENSIVE HEALTH EDUCATION FOUNDATION
Email: email protected from spam bots
Phone: 847-226-4158
Website: www.chef.org

¶ 2:49 PM 0 comments

Major Malpractice Class Action Lawsuit Looms for Doctors Who Ignore Heart Scan Tests

It has been several years since new medical discoveries have debunked old theories regarding heart disease and heart attack and have verified the efficacy of CT heart scans for detecting both early and advanced heart disease. Doctors who fail to keep apprised of these finding or refuse to change their practice for financial reasons put themselves at risk for becoming defendants in a major malpractice class action lawsuit. The plaintiffs will be a growing class of persons who were debilitated by avoidable heart attacks and heart procedures and the heirs and estates of those who have died.

Milwaukee, WI (PRWEB) November 29, 2005 -- This press release outlines a template for a potential class action lawsuit that may be on the horizon for the medical industry. The class of plaintiffs for this theoretical action remains latent but is growing on a daily basis. However, it requires only one such plaintiff to find an attorney who recognizes the scale and magnitude of the potential damages and move forward on a contingency basis. In real terms, this class could include 80% of those who had a heart attack, underwent a heart procedure, or subsequently died. According to the latest American Heart Association statistics, this number is estimated to be a least 865,000 persons and the entire class could easily be 10 times that number. Using a conservative estimate of $500,000 in damages per class member, the total damages could exceed $400 billion.

The plaintiffs, defendants, third parties, and facts surrounding the following moot complaint represent an actual incident. The names, specific health information, and dates have been changed to protect potential litigants.

Plaintiff, through his attorneys, brings this action on behalf of himself and all others similarly situated, and on personal knowledge as to himself and his activities, and on information and belief as to all other matters, based on investigation conducted by counsel, hereby alleges as follows:

NATURE OF THE ACTION

1.Plaintiff brings this class action on behalf of himself and all other persons who suffered physical damages or mental distress as a result of receiving a medical diagnosis indicating they had no identifiable heart disease, elevated risk for heat attack, or who were prescribed medications not suited to treat their heart disease once detected.

2.Substantial and irrefutable medical evidence has established that cardiac stress testing is an ineffective method for detecting heart disease of the type that is the root cause in over 90% of all heart attacks and other complications of heart disease that result in death or debilitating injury. A readily available and well-publicized test known as “CT heart scanning” is capable of detecting virtually all heart disease of this nature. It has also been established that simple cholesterol testing often fails to detect persons like likely to develop serious heart disease and prevents them from receiving common treatments capable of reducing or eliminating the source of their undetected heart disease. Readily available blood testing techniques exist that are capable of detecting non-cholesterol related sources of heart disease.

3.The medical community has made significant investments in outdated methods of detecting and treating heart disease. They rely on the revenue streams generated by providing these treatments to persons whose heart disease has progressed to the stage that intervention is required to prevent death or debilitation. Any change in diagnostic or treatment methods resulting in the prevention of heart disease would require substantial investments in new technologies and would severely reduce the market for current treatments. Plaintiffs believe this is a motivating factor in the neglect and willful suppression of readily available technology capable of detecting and preventing heart disease and represents gross medical malpractice.

SUBSTANTIVE ALLEGATIONS

On January 23, 1999, Plaintiff underwent a CT Heart Scan which was interpreted by a cardiologist at the ABC Scan Center. Plaintiff received a report from the Scan Center cardiologist indicating that his “calcium score” placed him in the top 1% for heart attack risk among men in his age group. The report also included the comment “Patient has a high risk of having at least one major stenosis (50% or greater blockage) in his Left Anterior Descending (LAD) artery and is urged to consult with a physician regarding this finding.”

On March 3, 1999 Plaintiff presented Defendant with the results of the January 23, 1999 CT Heart Scan. Defendant told Plaintiff to disregard the CT Heart Scan Results and ordered a physical including a stress test and cholesterol blood test.

On April 1, 2005, Plaintiff had a heart attack and a subsequent coronary angiography that confirmed multiple obstructive coronary plaques in his LAD. Plaintiff received an emergency balloon angioplasty to relieve his acute condition. Substantial damage to plaintiff's heart was incurred before emergency angioplasty could be instituted.

On April 3, 2005, per Defendant’s recommendation, Plaintiff underwent open heart surgery to insert three bypasses in his LAD to resolve substantial obstructive heart disease, the same artery identified as having likely obstructive heart disease over 5 years earlier via CT heart scan.

On July 7, 2005, Plaintiff independently obtained additional blood testing not ordered by Plaintiff and was found to have several additional blood abnormalities not discovered by Defendant that are known to contribute to the development of heart disease and were readily treatable using lifestyle changes, nutritional supplements, and prescription drugs.

As early as September, 1996, the American Heart Association (AHA) issued a “Scientific Statement” to health professionals acknowledging the strong link between heart attacks and high calcium scores in asymptomatic patients. Extensive studies and references have confirmed the ineffectiveness of stress testing to reveal early heart disease in asymptomatic patients.

Plaintiff alleges that Defendant failed to utilize readily available medical tests and protocols to identify, aggressively treat, and potentially delay, halt, or reverse advanced heart disease that later resulted in extensive physical and emotional trauma to the Defendant.

PRAYER FOR RELIEF

WHEREFORE, Plaintiff herein demands judgment:

A. Declaring this action to be a proper class action maintainable pursuant to Rule 23 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and declaring Plaintiff to be a proper Class representative;

B. Awarding damages against each defendant, joint and severally, and in favor of Plaintiff and all other members of the Class, in an amount determined to have been sustained by them, awarding money damages as appropriate, plus pre-judgment interest;

C. Awarding Plaintiff and the Class the costs and other disbursements of this suit, including without limitation, reasonable fees for attorneys, accountants, experts; and

JURY DEMAND

Plaintiff hereby demands a trial by jury.

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Press Contact: Chris Kliesmet
Company Name:
Email: email protected from spam bots
Phone: 414-429-9501
Website: http://www.trackyourplaque.com

¶ 11:47 AM 0 comments

USA Licensed Pharmacies offering a Family Type Pharmacy Online

familymedpharmacy.com hit the headlines today, after obtaining some of the most coveted spots in the area of USA Licensed Family Pharmacies on the largest and most popular household name Internet sites.

(PRWEB) November 26, 2005 -- Aspiring to become a leader in the Licensed Family Pharmacies market USA, they suddenly command, thanks to this news release, a much higher visibility and exposure threshold, directly through the search engines.

The website itself www.familymedpharmacy.com, a highly innovative and quality presentation, now has a high profile image on the World Wide Web to match its online offerings from its Licensed Family Pharmacies.

Global players including www.yahoo.com (the leading Yahoo worldwide search engine), www.google.com/news and www.ask.com found themselves with the site ranked on their first page result listings directly through this news release for a whole series of specific phrases, with each entry being specific to consumers in their market.

Pushing away their competitors, familymedpharmacy.com now commands a higher profile both on the internet and beyond, lending itself more and more to its direct clients in the Licensed Family Pharmacies marketplace.

With its increased online image, familymedpharmacy.com welcomes all of its new consumers to its website, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

For further information on what familymedpharmacy.com has to offer please visit familymedpharmacy.com 24 hours a day.

Description of familymedpharmacy.com : This USA licensed pharmacies offer medicine for weight loss, heartburn, skin care, pain relief and much more over the internet.

Family Med Pharmacy covers USA including New York City, Honolulu, Houston, Las Vegas, Detroit and Seattle with discrete FedEx next day.

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Press Contact: familymedpharmacy.com
Company Name: familymedpharmacy.com
Email: email protected from spam bots
Phone: 8774792455
Website: www.familymedpharmacy.com

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[ Editor's comment: This is clearly one of the most self-delusional press releases I have ever seen. It's almost masterful in it's presentation of pitiful delusions of grandeur. Will anyone possibly buy into this dream-world? Perhaps... (hris ] 

 

¶ 9:58 AM 0 comments

Discount FDA Approved Prescription Medicines Online

http://www.consumersdiscountrx.com/netpharma affiliate hits the headlines in this news release today, and on most international search engines, after obtaining some of the most coveted spots in the area of discount viagra online on the largest and most popular household name internet sites.

(PRWEB) November 19, 2005 -- Aspiring to become a leader in the discount viagra online market, they suddenly command, thanks to this news release, a much higher visibility and exposure threshold, directly through the search engines.

The affiliate website itself http://www.consumersdiscountrx.com/netpharma, a highly innovative and quality presentation, now has a high profile image on the World Wide Web to match its online offerings of discount viagra online.

Global players including www.yahoo.com (the leading Yahoo worldwide search engine), www.google.com/news and www.ask.com found themselves with the site ranked on their first page result listings directly through this news release for a whole series of specific phrases, with each entry being specific to consumers in their market.

Pushing away their competitors, http://www.consumersdiscountrx.com/netpharma affiliate now commands a higher profile both on the internet and beyond, lending itself more and more to its direct clients in the discount viagra online marketplace.

With its increased online image, http://www.consumersdiscountrx.com/netpharma affiliate welcomes all of its new consumers to its website, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

For further information on what http://www.consumersdiscountrx.com/netpharma has to offer please visit http://www.consumersdiscountrx.com/netpharma 24 hours a day.

Description of http://www.consumersdiscountrx.com/netpharma : Online prescriptions including viagra - impotence in men, propecia - hair loss treatment, zyban - stop smoking and celebrex - arthritis pain. Free consultation with US lincensed pharmacist and physicians.

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Press Contact: netpharma
Company Name: netpharma
Email: email protected from spam bots
Phone: 18007713299
Website: http://www.consumersdiscountrx.com/netpharma

¶ 10:17 AM 0 comments

Premier Mexican Pharmacies Lowers Prices to Industry Record for Quality Results

After a highly successful 4 years, Premier Mexican Pharmacies has lowered their prices to say ‘thanks’ to their thousands of members and say ‘hello’ to thousands more.

(PRWEB) November 17, 2005 -- Since the beginning of 2002, Premier Mexican Pharmacies has been providing the most comprehensive subscription service for people searching for prescription drugs at discount prices from Mexican pharmacies.

Today, Premier Mexican Pharmacies helps thousands of people save thousands of dollars on their prescription purchases. With their unique tools, such as a user review and ratings system, consumers of all shapes and sizes are finding the best prices from accredited Mexican and Canadian Pharmacies. Now, to say thank you to their loyal subscribers and to say a big hello to plenty new ones, Premier Mexican Pharmacies has reduced their subscription fees to all time industry lows.

Although no website offers all of the resources that Premier Mexican Pharmacies provides their subscribers, many have tried. They come and go, but Premier has lasted because of their user care and truly unique resources. Testimonials from subscribers tell the story. “Instead of having to go to the one pharmacy in my area and pay the price for it, I now get my monthly prescriptions from three different pharmacies and pay 40% less while I am at it,” said Cathy Simmons from Roanoke, Virginia. Cathy goes on to explain that just saving the trip to the pharmacy makes the subscription fee worth it since it would cost her more in gas each month to drive back and forth.

Now, to bring even more value to their subscribers, Premier Mexican Pharmacies has lowered their monthly subscription price to $17. Websites offering even similar services can hardly be found for less than $19.95, so Premier has decided to beat them all. “We just are very comfortable with our growth and want to bring more people into our family. The whole point of our service is to save people money, so we have decided to save them even more on their subscription fees.” This statement from site owner Mark Ramirez says it all. The subscribers of Premier Mexican Pharmacies are very much like a family after examining the website features.

Unlike other, similar sites, the users on Premier Mexican Pharmacies communicate with one another to share their experiences with pharmacies found through the site. Good experiences and bad experiences are all discussed and are translated into an overall pharmacy rating system which can help new users decide which Mexican, Canadian, or overseas pharmacies they should make their purchases from. Trust is an enormous issue with any online purchase and especially for something as sensitive as prescription medications. No subscription site can match the level of trust that the members of Premier Mexican Pharmacies have when making their prescription drug purchases.

If you are interested in the services that Premier Mexican Pharmacies has to offer, take advantage of these new prices and join today for only $17. Your subscription will pay for itself on your first purchase.

Media Contact:
Mark Ramirez
(210) 789-2973

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Press Contact: Mark Ramirez
Company Name: Premier Mexican Pharmacies.com
Email: email protected from spam bots
Phone: (210) 789-2973
Website: http://www.premiermexicanpharmacies.com

¶ 4:27 PM 0 comments

Future of Medical Care at Risk: 16,500-Member Physician and Scientist Group in 80 Nations Strikes Back

 Chicago (PRWEB) November 13, 2005 -- A recently published JAMA Commentary purported to address the legality of Human Growth Hormone (hGH, GH) treatment by physicians for adult growth hormone deficient (GHD) patients. The commentary was filled with incorrect, misplaced references and studies, and multiple basic scientific errors, in an apparent attempt to damage the Anti-Aging medical profession and the physicians practicing solid, evidence-based medical healthcare focused on improving patients' quality of life. The authors selected self-serving studies, in which they failed to qualify the conclusions in an effort to bolster their disinformation campaign.

They wrongfully intermingled internet sales of homeopathic pseudo "GH" sprays, amino acids, and sports nutritional over the counter products in order to inflate their misleading claims suggesting an illegal diversion of hGH by physicians and pharmacies, implying a black market in FDA approved prescription injectable hGH for hormone replacement treatments by anti-aging physicians where none exists. Biased, agenda based, inaccurately misrepresented data cannot be left unchallenged and is a threat to both patients and physicians who believe in freedom of choice in healthcare.

The authors of the JAMA commentary state that the positive effects of hGH "may be shortlived” and state “to our knowledge, no studies have assessed long-term efficacy or safety of GH administration as an anti-aging intervention in humans.” There is ample peer review research in the medical literature demonstrating the positive benefits of this pharmaceutical agent in multi-year studies, well beyond the typical 6-12 month study protocols. Growth hormone replacement therapy has been shown to improve many quality of life concerns such as loss of muscle mass, strength and energy levels.

The study the authors use to bolster their side effect theories, has already been called to task in JAMA published rebuttals: the dosages (which are misrepresented by the JAMA commentary authors) far exceed the proper and usual dose commonly employed by physicians in clinical practice  with side effects noted on the order of 1 to 2%. Recent studies now cite the benefits of low dose HGH without mention of side effects seen with the supra-physiologic dosages. In spite of the JAMA commentary authors' statements regarding an increased cancer risk with hGH treatment, they failed to report supportive data.

Recent media reports about the federal law concerning hGH have created unnecessary confusion in the media, and some reporters have confused non-medical over-the-counter homeopathic sprays and nutritional products with pharmaceutical-grade, FDA-approved injection medications for adult growth hormone deficient (AGHD) patients. Misleading journalism incorrectly intermingles sports and homeopathic nutritional supplements sold through websites with pharmaceutical-grade injectable HGH prescribed for patients with diagnosed AGHD. Such poor presentations of the science and commentary, have erroneously suggested that the replacement of hGH in aging adults is illegal, and has led to sensationalized headlines. Patients are not given HGH for a diagnosis or treatment of "anti-aging," but for on-label use for AGHD syndrome, a diagnosed disease.

The federal law in question is 21 U.S.C. § 333(e), a provision of the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA). It says, in pertinent part, that "whoever knowingly distributes, or possesses with intent to distribute, human growth hormone for any use in humans other than the treatment of a disease or other recognized medical condition, where such use has been authorized by [FDA] and pursuant to the order of a physician, is guilty of an offense punishable by not more than 5 years in prison." We need to take a critical look at the historical context and legislative intent of a law before we interpret it. The law did not originally address hGH. Although never even mentioned in the JAMA piece, the 1988 law was written and passed regarding anabolic steroids. The legislative history of the law's creation shows an intent to focus on steroid trafficking to athletes, particularly adolescent athletes, amid increasing reports of amateur and professional sports doping and concerns about the upcoming Seoul Olympics (at which, ironically, Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson's steroid positive ignited a global firestorm).

Two years later, in 1990, heightened alarm over steroids and hGH in athletics resulted in the Anabolic Steroid Control Act of 1990, which lifted steroids out of the FDCA and into the Controlled Substances Act. Congress was presented with the option of making hGH into a controlled substance, too. However, following expert medical testimony that hGH lacks the adverse psychological and physical effects of steroids, Congress chose not to take such a drastic approach to hGH. Instead, Congress took the lesser approach of inserting hGH, to replace steroids, in the FDCA law that was written to stop trafficking to cheating athletes. The focus of lawmakers and Congress has always been to address non-medical use again, improper use by competitive elite athletes, sports people and teenagers. One of the authors of the recent JAMA commentary stated to United Press International (UPI) in reference to the statute, "They basically put in language that made it crystal clear that it is illegal to use growth hormone as an anti-aging intervention". This is a very odd statement, considering the fact that when the law was written, there were no anti-aging doctors or profession in existence. In fact, the anti-aging medical profession did not even exist until 5 years after the 1988 statute was enacted.

Despite their hyperbolic rhetoric, the co-authors of the commentary admit that hGH prescribing is perfectly legal in connection with (1) "treatment of a disease" or (2) an "other recognized medical condition" that has been authorized by FDA. At no time has Congress evinced any intent to restrict ethical physicians from prescribing hGH to mature or elderly adults for medical reasons within their sound judgment. Nothing in the statute dictates to physicians how to diagnose the indications for diseases which may be treated by hGH. Any inference that the statute was intended to prohibit physicians from prescribing hGH for hormone replacement purposes in GH-deficient adults is misplaced. It is incumbent upon medical science writers to refrain from making biased or inflammatory statements, for agenda-driven science reporting is not scientific.

Two of the three authors of the JAMA commentary are defendants in a $120 million lawsuit brought against them by the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine (as well as other plaintiff parties) for defamation, slander, conspiracy, and other claims. The defendants' attempt to have the claims dismissed in court was recently denied by the court.

Most interesting of all is that the third article by the same Forbes journalist yet again promoting the work of the lead author of the commentary in JAMA, now has turned his attention to promoting Elixir Pharmaceuticals in a Forbes cover story entitled, ‘Want to Live Forever’ barely a week after penning in the same publication, ‘Jail Time for Growth Hormone’. A curious section from this newest piece, written barely a week after the former, states: “Elixir focuses on another molecular mechanism linked to aging, one that casts doubt on the fad of taking human growth hormone to keep you young. Mice engineered to be resistant to the effects of growth hormone or a related hormone, IGF-1, live longer than their normal counterparts, several studies have found; other mice bred to have elevated hormone levels die young. Elixir hopes to design drugs that block the effects of the natural hormone ghrelin, which prompts the release of growth hormone and stimulates appetite. The company aims to test this approach for diabetes and possibly obesity; it hopes to begin human trials in two years.”. Most profound here, is this JAMA author failed to disclose that he is in fact one of the founders of Elixir Pharmaceuticals. Even further, a listed source for the Forbes article, is not surprisingly, the third author of the JAMA commentary.

HGH therapy has been in use for over 40 years on adults and children, with one of the best safety records in modern pharmacia and whose dose in adults is typically only ½ to 1/3 of the pediatric does and under the strict supervision of an endocrinologist or anti-aging specialist. Not a single death or permanent life threatening morbidity has been reported in its use of AGHD by these experts in otherwise healthy but AGHD patients.

The Academy and it global affiliates worldwide will stand with its members for the protection of health care freedoms for physicians and patients seeking the benefit of legitimate therapies for a longer and healthier life.

An expanded version of this Official Response, complete with reference citations, is online at:
http://www.worldhealth.net/p/anti-aging-hgh-20051111.html.

The American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine, Inc. ("A4M") is a non-profit medical society dedicated to the advancement of technology to detect, prevent, and treat aging related disease and to promote research into methods to retard and optimize the human aging process. A4M is also dedicated to educating physicians, scientists, and members of the public on biomedical sciences, breaking technologies, and anti-aging issues. A4M believes that the disabilities associated with normal aging are caused by physiological dysfunction which in many cases are ameliorable to medical treatment, such that the human lifespan can be increased, and the quality of one's life enhanced as one grows chronologically older. A4M seeks to disseminate information concerning innovative science and research as well as treatment modalities designed to prolong the human lifespan. Anti-Aging Medicine is based on the scientific principles of responsible medical care consistent with those of other healthcare specialties. Although A4M seeks to disseminate information on many types of medical treatments, it does not promote or endorse any specific treatment nor does it sell or endorse any commercial product.

Source: The American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine (A4M), Chicago, IL
Phone: (773) 528-4333
Fax: (773) 528-5390
Website: www.worldhealth.net

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Press Contact: Catherine Cebula
Company Name: AMERICAN ACADEMY OF ANTI-AGING MEDICINE (A4M)
Email: mediaGHD@a4minfo.net
Phone: 773-528-4333
Website: http://www.worldhealth.net/p/anti-aging-hgh-20051111.html

¶ 10:34 AM 0 comments

Stewart-Jackson Pharmacal’s Sales Meeting

(PRWEB) October 29, 2005 -- Stewart-Jackson Pharmacal, a strategically positioned pharmaceutical company focused on drugs for common ailments, urology and the cardiovascular system, recently ran a Baker Communications-led sales training program during their annual sales kick-off meeting.

The sales program, Pharmaceutical Selling Skills, incorporated key components of Baker Communications’ value-drive Consultative Selling Skills training program with a specific customized approach designed towards meeting the needs of the pharmaceutical industry. Additional components related to behavioral style assessments and solution-based selling were incorporated into the session.

Several factors led Stewart-Jackson Pharmacal to choose Baker Communications to provide expert training and facilitation during their annual sales meeting.     Initially, one of the key factors was finding a company that was able to tailor their curriculum to meet their specific timeline and to deliver a program with rather short notice. The ability to ensure that training content was specific to the pharmaceutical industry was also a key factor in the company’s selection. Furthermore, the attention provided by Baker Communications’ dedicated account manager played a key role in securing the business. Training was conducted during the summer of 2005 and was well-received by the sales team.

About Baker Communications
Since 1979, Baker Communications www.bakercommunications.com founded by James A. (Jim) Baker has trained hundreds of thousands of individuals to reach their maximum performance in the workplace. Globally-recognized companies, associations, non-profit organizations and government agencies have depended on Baker Communications to act as a valued training provider to equip their employees with the skills that produce results in the field and in the office. Baker Communications materials have been used and taught worldwide in Europe, South America, North America, the Middle East and Asia Pacific. Classes are held publicly throughout the country in over twenty cities or on-site at client locations.

About Stewart-Jackson Pharmacal
With sales representatives in the Southeast, Florida and Texas, Stewart-Jackson Pharmacal has direct coverage in 11 states and extended indirect reach in various states throughout the U.S. Stewart-Jackson Pharmacal is strategically positioned for rapid yet controlled growth, both in terms of its sales force and product portfolio. The company was founded in 1975 by two gentlemen who had a vision to provide quality and affordable drugs for common ailments within the general population. With an initial focus on respiratory drugs, more commonly known as the cough-and-cold category, their vision has evolved through the decades to include urology and cardiovascular drugs.

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Press Contact: James Baker
Company Name: BAKER COMMUNICATIONS INC.
Email: james.a.baker@bakercommunications.com
Phone: 713-627-7700
Website: www.bakercommunications.com  

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¶ 5:32 PM 0 comments

Wal-Mart's Prescription for Employee Health Care is Bad Medicine - An American Association for Employees and Self-Employed Persons Employee Alert -

(PRWEB) October 27, 2005 -- The American Association of Employees and Self-Employed Persons (“AAESEP”) issued an “Employee Alert” today in response to a proposed plan by Wal-Mart to offer high-deductible insurance plans to its’ employees. Wal-Mart announced Monday that it is making an attempt to offer affordable health care options to their employees by offering a new insurance plan called the Wal-Mart “Value Plan.”(1) While AAESEP applauds the recognition by Wal-Mart that the retailer must take steps to offer health insurance to the nearly 50% of Wal-Mart employees who currently have no coverage, the specifics of this offering doom the plan to fail and risk the physical and financial well being of hard working American employees.

The “Value Plan” involves considerable employee cost-sharing since employees will be enrolling in a high-deductible health insurance policy. The lower premiums that are typically found in such policies will appeal to many Wal-Mart employees and, in theory, get many employees “off the books” as uninsured. However, Wal-Mart employees are required to pay a $1,000 deductible for individuals and $3,000 for a family before insurance coverage begins.(2) The benefit of a high-deductible plan is that because of the lower risk to the insurer (since a large percent of the claims filed for employees fall beneath this deductible rate) monthly premiums can be lowered dramatically. Here Wal-Mart’s monthly insurance premiums will average $25 for an individual, $37 for a single parent and $65 for a family. To put those numbers in perspective, the average individual policy in New York City today is nearly $500 per month!

While lower monthly premiums do go a long way to reducing the barriers to entry into the health insurance market, their initial benefit masks a potentially catastrophic danger. It is important to note that high-deductible policies provide several benefits on top of lowering monthly premiums. First, when pared with a Health Savings Account (“HSA”) they have an element of tax savings that makes them beneficial for certain individuals. Further, AAESEP agrees that in the post-managed care world, in order to reign in health care costs, patients themselves need to become educated consumers and make decisions that are not only healthy but financially responsible. AAESEP believes that placing some of the initial financial burden on the consumer may help facilitate this needed change. However, while AAESEP believes that HSAs used in conjunction with high-deductible policies may be the best health insurance solution for certain individuals there is, ironically, one group of employees that this type of insurance scheme specifically will not help – Wal-Mart employees.

According to Wal-Mart, the firm’s full-time U.S. employees earn on average $9.68 per hour, putting the pre-tax annual salary of a full-time employee at $20,134.40.(3) For an individual (much less a family) at this income level a high-deductible health insurance policy risks access to needed care and risks the financial stability of such individuals due to increased medical debt. High-deductible plans are particularly risky for American employees with incomes below $35,000. A 2005 publication by The Commonwealth Fund predicted that “44 percent of people with incomes below $35,000 and with a deductible of $500 or more would experience cost-related access problems.”(4) The study also specifically stated that, “(M)edical bill problems and medical debt are greater among lower-income adults with higher deductibles”. The least suited individuals for high-deductible policies are those Wal-Mart intends to cover with such policies.

The problem inherent in the high-deductible approach to offering health insurance to low-income individuals is that it places too great of importance on reducing the premium payment and too little on the most important measure of health insurance affordability: total out of pocket expenses. According to The Commonwealth Fund, for low-income individuals and families “the ceiling on out-of-pocket expenses (in a typical high-deductible policy) constitutes 26 percent of income for single individuals and families at twice the federal poverty level.” AAESEP believes this is an unacceptable solution for the problem of insurance access for low-income individuals. The further risk is that the Wal-Mart plan, being trumpeted as a success, will be followed by other large employers of low-income Americans. While these employers will be quick to tout statistics showing that high numbers of their employees have health insurance, those employees will be covered by policies that risk their physical and financial health.

The Wal-Mart plan will not work for the average Wal-Mart employee as it stands. AAESEP calls upon Wal-Mart to address the weaknesses found in the insurance offering and contends that the retailer, like all employers, will benefit from having healthy and financially stable employees. Specifically AAESEP asks that the following changes be made to the proposed policy:

-    Wal-Mart should give each employee with an annual salary of less than $35,000 a year a one-time payment of $500 to seed their Health Savings Account.

-    Wal-Mart should exempt all primary care and preventive services from the deductible requirement.

-    Wal-Mart should work with State and Federal officials to explore whether individual Wal-Mart employees may qualify and benefit from subsidized comprehensive health plans. (In New York for example individuals may be better served by a policy under the State’s “Healthy New York” plan.)

Further, it should be noted that AAESEP recommends vast changes to Wal-Mart’s health insurance eligibility requirements which currently require six months of service before benefits begin. Recognizing the need to press ahead and develop programs that will assist employees if the Wal-Mart Value Plan goes ahead as planned on January 1, 2006, AAESEP has already begun the process of submitting applications for private and Government assistance to offer “HSA Jump Start” funds for Wal-Mart employees meeting certain criteria including having a high-deductible policy. At AAESEP we are committed to helping all American employees make smart health insurance decisions. AAESEP is also committed to reducing financial barriers to quality care and protecting employees against financial hardship related to health insurance bills and costs.

AAESEP endeavors to deliver information to the public on issues related to work and employment in America; support high-quality research into areas of interest to working and self-employed persons, provide referrals to a variety of services including legal services, retirement planning, health insurance, education and job skills training; become the premier source of information to policy makers, the business community, political leaders, and academic researchers on issues related to employment and link a wide variety of professional associations and related groups dedicated to meeting the changing needs of today’s workforce. For more information about AAESEP, please visit our website at www.aaesep.org

Sources:

1. Michael Barbaro, Wal-Mart to Expand Health Plan for Workers, N.Y. Times, October 24, 2005, at http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/24/business/24mart.html

2. Victoria Colliver, Health insurance for $25 Wal-Mart offers various lower-cost coverage plans for workers, S.F. Gate, October 25, 2005, at http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/10/25/BUGV7FDB421.DTL

3. The Institute for Policy Studies, Wal-Mart’s Pay Gap CEO Compensation 871 times as high as U.S. Wal-Mart Worker Pay; 50,000 times Chinese Worker Pay, April 15, 2005, at http://www.laborrights.org/projects/corporate/walmart/Wal-mart_pay_gap041505.pdf

4. How High Is Too High? Implications of High-Deductible Health Plans, Karen Davis, Ph.D., Michelle M. Doty, Ph.D., and Alice Ho, The Commonwealth Fund, April 2005, at http://www.cmwf.org/publications/publications_show.htm?doc_id=274007

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Press Contact: Tyler Malin
Company Name: AAESEP
Email: tyler.malin@aaesep.org
Phone: 212-759-9740
Website: http://www.aaesep.org

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A Simple and Cost Effective Solution to Assure the Safety of the U.S. Drug Supply

(PRWEB) October 25, 2005 -- The American consumer remains concerned about the safety and quality of the drug supply in the United States. They are concerned because of the recent recalls, the lack of fully disclosed side-effects for some drugs, and counterfeit drugs. The United States’ own government report, HHS Task Force on Drug Importation, notes that there are vulnerabilities in the U.S. drug supply that may result in various abuses.

There is talk about safety and quality of prescription drugs. But what does that mean? How do you define safety and quality?

“One way is to define safe and high quality practices through written standards that the pharmaceutical industry needs to follow and have a methodology to assure that this industry is complying with these standards,” states Jennifer Fels, Executive Officer for Standards and Surveys at IMPAC. She further notes these standards must be broad in scope. They can not be limited to the dispensing of drugs, but must also include new technologies, consumer safety, drug integrity, chain of custody or pedigree, privacy of information, customer service and education, security, and quality and performance improvement.

Currently, states oversee pharmacy and drug wholesaler practices. The state pharmacy inspectors inspect local pharmacies. Their expertise is in retail pharmacy. If a mailorder pharmacy is located in their state, they inspect it. If the mailorder pharmacy is located in another state, they accept the inspection of the other state. There is no national standard for these inspections. For drug wholesalers or drug distributors, the regulations are minimal. As Giuliani Partners’ Report, Examination and Assessment of Prescription Drugs Importation from Foreign Sources to the United States, notes, “States have a comparatively small number of investigators to monitor licensed wholesalers, given the sheer number of wholesalers, oversight is minimal.”

The prescription drug market is global. It will be global with or without the passage of the federal legislation on importation of prescription drugs. There are over one million U.S. consumers that personally import drugs from around the world. It is often said that ‘the genie is out of the bottle and it will not go back in’. The global drug market is here to stay.

The globalization of the drug market is occurring at a time when the domestic U.S. wholesale distribution system is already under scrutiny and when the states are often understaffed and under funded for pharmaceutical distribution and dispensing oversight. Dana Noble, Executive Officer for Operations for IMPAC, notes, “There is a need for a single set of international quality standards for pharmaceutical distribution and dispensing similar to those we currently utilize for hospital oversight in the United States. It needs to be a gold standard with the bar set high.” IMPAC has developed quality standards for mailorder pharmacies and pharmaceutical wholesale industry. These standards and the accreditation process will address the safety of prescription drugs from the drug manufacturer through the delivery to the consumer.

Accreditation standards and process such as IMPAC can ease the duties and costs for states and potentially the federal government, particularly agencies such as F.D.A (Food and Drug Administration) and CMS (Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services), to provide oversight for pharmaceutical distribution and dispensing. This growing and global market is occurring at a time when states can least afford to hire more inspectors, train them beyond retail pharmacy inspection, and broaden their scope nationally and internationally. IMPAC, like most healthcare accreditation firms such as JCAHO which accredits hospitals, charges the client (pharmacy or wholesaler) for the accreditation survey. Compliance with high quality standards is the responsibility of the pharmacy or wholesaler. It is a cost of doing business. With an international commission such as IMPAC, once the pharmacy or wholesaler is accredited, that accreditation is available to each state. So a national accreditation is not only cost effective for the states and federal government, but also for the industry. IMPAC accreditation would be no cost to the states and federal governments, which means no cost to the taxpayer.

Federal and state governments and agencies need to be assured that the distribution and dispensing of drugs, domestically and internationally, is safe and of high quality. It would be very costly for the states and federal agencies to do it themselves. They should require accreditation for this component of healthcare just as they do for other areas of healthcare such as hospitals and home health. All payers, whether a private commercial carrier or a state or the federal government, should require the pharmacy benefits management programs (PBMs) that they contract with to use only IMPAC accredited mailorder pharmacies and IMPAC accredited drug wholesalers. IMPAC is the most comprehensive method to assure the quality and safety of prescription drugs.

IMPAC is a U.S. based accreditation commission incorporated in Vermont.

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Press Contact: Dana Noble
Company Name: IMPAC
Email: dnoble@sover.net
Phone: 1-800-677-7019
Website: www.impacsurvey.org

¶ 7:20 PM 0 comments